State lawmakers Wednesday acted on measures that would ban the open carrying of rifles in public, allow young illegal immigrants to have driver’s licenses and require college workers to report suspicions of child abuse to authorities.

With three days left until their session ends, the legislators sent Gov. Jerry Brown dozens of bills, including the gun measure. Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge) introduced it in response to gun owners’ openly carrying rifles and shotguns in public as a demonstration of their rights to bear firearms.

The proposal would make it a misdemeanor, subject to jail time and fines, to openly carry unloaded long guns in incorporated cities. It was backed by law enforcement officials including Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca and Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck.

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